It looks like we’re one step closer to creating genetically modified humans in a lab

The first CRISPR-edited embryos have been produced in the U.S.

by Sara ChodoshJul 27, 20173 minutes

In vitro fertilization being performed under a microscope

Pixabay

In a U.S. first, a team of biologists has edited a human embryo’s DNA. The technique has been used before by scientists in China, but never in the United States, where the ethical debate over editing embryos rages on with no consensus in sight. And according to the U.S. team, their trial has achieved an unprecedented level of success.

There’s not much information on exactly what was edited, because there is not yet a published paper to accompany the research. on Wednesday that Shoukhrat Mitalipov, a biologist at Oregon to remove from an early stage embryo. More importantly, they reported that the rate of mosaicism in these embryos was lower than in previous attempts.